Zodiac Review

Hype:  When I first heard about Zodiac I said I'd pass on this one.  Jake Gyllenhal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo in a serial killer mystery doesn't sound too great.  Once it came out on DVD I still decided I would pass, but then I heard about the Director's Cut coming out on DVD.  I didn't realize this movie deserved a director's cut, so I looked up some reviews. Lo and behold its actually supposed to be good, in fact it was on a lot of peoples best of 2007 movie lists.  Therefore I've decided I need to give it a try.  Let's see how it goes.

Initial Review:  Zodiac stars Jake Gyllenhal as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Robert Downey Jr. as a reporter for the SFC and Mark Ruffalo as a cop.  All get involved with the Zodiac killer when he sends a cryptic letter the SFC and two other San Fran. newspapers.  When Jake's character, Robert Graysmith, sees the letter he immediately becomes interested in trying to figure out who this killer is.

When I first heard about Zodiac I thought it would be a straight up serial killer movie, involving killing after killing.  But that's not what this movie is about.  I found it interesting that this ended up being false.  Zodiac is more about the chase and how the unsolved mystery affects those involved.

Zodiac was split into three main parts, the first was the killings and the cryptic letters.  Next was the cops investigation and the turmoil that's involved when trying to solve a difficult case.  The last third of the movie was Graysmith's investigation and how that affected his family life.  One thing I really enjoyed about Zodiac was that the story never really let up.  It never felt like a movie that was two and a half hours long.  Every scene kept you wanting more.

Another pleasant surprise with Zodiac was Robert Downey Jr.  Before this year I could not remember ever seeing a film with him, but after seeing Iron Man and now Zodiac, I'm really starting to enjoy him.  It may be because both of those characters are just like how I picture Downey, a drunk dark man, or maybe he is just a good actor.  He has definitely proved me wrong.

Overall, I really enjoyed Zodiac and can see why it made so many top ten lists for 2007.  I highly recommend it, you will not be disappointed.

Repeating Viewings: